Not Your Typical Love Story
by Jazzmatazz30
Summary: ...but it's their love story. And it's a good one.
1. Boy

**Hey everyone! This is a short little story shedding some light on how I think Audrey and Percy got together. Hope you enjoy, don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters, however the story line is all me :-)**

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><p>Percy Weasley is a boy, and a pretty boring one at that. He personally didn't find himself boring, but a year after the war, Teen Witch Weekly named him the most forgettable Weasley. He came in 7th, right behind his brother Charlie, who lives halfway around the world and hasn't been near England in at least 8 years. Percy's one of 6 boys born to his mother and father, Molly and Arthur Weasley.<p>

His parents met on September 1st, a decade or three ago, and that was that. There was nothing particularly special or poetic about his parents' relationship. He was handsome and popular and she was pretty and confident. It was a recipe for success. He admired her from afar, waiting for the perfect moment to ask her on a proper date. The perfect moment came in the form of Molly tackling him and telling him to either ask her out already or sketch a picture. Of course he asked her out, because, according to his father, he can't draw. At some point they fell in love and twenty years later they had 7 kids. It was pretty simple.

Being one of 7 children; not so simple. Having all those siblings can be a bit much, and Percy had always been the odd one out. He was a pessimist. No one understood him, so they basically ignored him. The funny thing though is that he was different than the others because he did what he was told. Yes, that was why his siblings did not like him. He had grasped the general concept of following the rules, something the rest of them never attempted. Following the rules had never seemed hard to him, considering the rules are given to you. The other six Weasley children, however, had a blatant disregard for authority and discipline. Most children would be praised for this, but not in their house. Bill and Charlie, his eldest brothers, would pick on him endlessly, and he vowed that if he ever got a little brother he would make sure he never treated them that way. Then his mom had Fred and George, which put a halt on his plan.

Those two were something else. They were smart and quick, meaning you had no chance in hell of out-scheming or out-talking them. They also had the 'cute' twin-factor, making them un-punishable in their mother's eyes. When he learned that his mother was having another baby, he thought that he'd finally get his chance at being a role model for his brother; but then she had Ronald.

Ron was an interesting kid. He was very impressionable and dense and Percy had hopes that there was a chance for him, but Ron's drive to be accepted overpowered his will to do the right things. He'd rather play jokes with Fred and George to keep them from playing jokes on him, or play Quidditch with Charlie so that Bill wouldn't pick on him. Percy could tell that Ron's downfall would be knowing when to say 'no'. That pretty much ended Percy's quest to be the best big brother ever.

No one expected his mom to have another child, and more importantly, no one expected her to have a girl. Before Ginny was brought home, they had received endless talks about being quiet and gentle when their sister arrived. Percy could handle quiet and gentle, it was his brothers he was worried about. When he saw Ginny for the first time, he immediately felt like he had to take care of her. She wouldn't make it in this house without someone to stick up for her, and Percy would make sure he always did.

Ginny was shy at first. She didn't cry or whine much, and she wasn't annoying like he'd expected a little girl to be. She always knew what she wanted; even when she was 3 years old. Surprisingly, she had taken to Percy more so than she had with the others. When he got home from Hogwarts she would follow him around and he'd try to entertain her as much as she could. When the others wouldn't let her play Quidditch with them, he opened the shed for her so she could practice on their brothers' brooms. Charlie had always been worried about her falling, but Percy would never let her fall. He felt bad that their family didn't have much, because she was a girl and hand-me-downs just wouldn't work. He wanted to do well in school and get a nice job so he could help her get nice things like she deserved. As they grew older the two of them drifted apart. He was busy, and she was coming into her own at Hogwarts. He regretted letting go of that bond with her. He regretted letting go of all of them.

Percy remembered the days when he could think about his family without that weird aching sensation in his stomach. It was guilt. When he thinks about them now, which isn't often, he feels terrible. He remembers how he became distant from them, and couldn't wait to graduate and move out of the Burrow. He remembered fighting with his dad when he decided to work for the crooked ministry. He remembered turning his back on them, when they needed to be a family. He betrayed them, and in the process, missed out on vital parts of their life. It wasn't until the very last second that he came to his senses during the war; but by then it had been too late. His brother, Fred, lay lifeless on the floor in front of him. He had missed out on his brother's life, then watched as it was taken from him cruelly.

His family crowded around the body, and he stood awkwardly behind them. His mother comforted his father, Bill had Fleur, Ron was with Harry and Hermione, and Ginny was with George. He didn't belong; he shouldn't be there. They were a family, and he was a traitor. Percy went back to the Burrow for the first time in what felt like forever, but it was short-lived. After Fred's funeral, Percy moved to a new flat and never went back. He didn't deserve to go back.

Percy didn't write or call or visit. He purposely made sure he didn't cross paths with them. They needn't worry about him; he had caused them enough pain. He walked past the Auror training facilities everyday on his way to his office, knowing Ron was inside. He ducked his head in Hogsmead when he passed the joke shop, so that George wouldn't see him. He never read the owls he'd received from Bill, and disabled his mother's howlers before he could hear the disappointment in her voice. He knew he was a disappointment; that's why he saved his family the trouble of having to deal with him.

Now more than ever, Percy Weasley was alone. He lived alone, worked alone, and went to sleep alone. Love had never been an option for him. Love was one of those good feelings associated with happiness, warmth and comfort. Percy Weasley needed happiness, warmth and comfort. Percy needed to be loved, but he didn't want to burden any women with the task of loving him. He'd dated girls before, but nothing had ever really worked out. That was partly because he was kind of weird and particular, and partly because there was never any kind of spark in the relationship.

Logistically, these relationships should have worked. All of the girls he dated were organized, ambitious, and well-mannered, but for some reason they never got along. It was a mystery, but Percy decided not to dwell on that. He figured eventually he might find someone, and if not, life would go on.

Percy Weasley didn't want a love story, but sometimes what we want and what we need have a funny way of never adding up just right.


	2. Girl

Audrey Carizzales was a girl, and a pretty one at that. She was ½ Portuguese and ½ Australian, which made for an interesting mix. She was also ½ witch, and that spiced things up as well. Her parents had one of the most amazing love stories she'd ever heard. Her father, Liam, came from a wealthy Australian family and went to the Australian Wizarding Academy, where he was captain of the Quidditch team and later went on to play for the Australian National Quidditch Team. In the quarter-finals against Portugal, Liam and a few teammates wandered off into the muggle parts of the city, where they met a waitress named Antonia, Audrey's mother. Her mother didn't come from a wealthy or wizard family. She worked at a restaurant and the local middle school so she could make enough money to support her mother and 11 brothers and sisters.

When he and his friends sat in her section in the restaurant, she was almost too nervous to tend to their table. He was the most handsome man she'd ever seen. After they ate his friends left, but he stayed until she had to close the restaurant. They walked along the beach, and even though they had just met, they both knew that there was something special there. They made love that night (a part of the story Audrey only recently learned), but Liam had to be back in Australia the next morning. He begged her to come with him, but she just couldn't leave her family behind.

They said their goodbye's, but Liam promised he'd come back for her someday, and asked her to wait for him. She waited for about 6 weeks, when she found out she was pregnant. Her family had basically disowned her for her discretions, but the hope that she and Liam would be together soon kept her going. Every now and again, Liam would apparate to the restaurant where he met Antonia some time ago. The manager told him that she no longer worked there, but she came by sometimes to say hello. On June 10, 1981, the manager told him that Antonia had been taken to the hospital. In a panic, he rushed to her, thinking the worst. I t would be impossible for him go on knowing that he hadn't kept his promise to her. When he got to room 495, he saw the love of his life holding the most precious thing in the world. Liam and Antonia didn't need to have a huge reunion or make a big scene. He had come back for her like he'd promised. He moved them to Australia, where Antonia learned of his wizarding heritage. She loved him anyway and they've been happy ever since.

Audrey had heard that story millions of times, and she could listen to it a million more. It reminded her that there were good guys out there, and that true love was real. Audrey went to the Australian Wizarding Academy like her father and excelled academically. She was popular among the students there, and never had any trouble fitting in. She was sweet, out-going, bold, caring, vivacious, and a little crazy. After her rabbit, Sergeant Pepper, died when she was nine, Audrey decided that the purpose of life was to live it, and she didn't want to take any day for granted.

She lived life to the fullest and cherished each day like it was the most special day she'd ever live. She was an optimist. When opportunities presented themselves, she went for them. When a guest speaker from London came to her school to give a lesson on etiquette and suggested she try out modeling, Audrey didn't oppose the idea. She begged her parents to let her go and they did. Her father moved the entire family to England just so she could pursue this dream. For her final year she transferred into Hogwarts, which had just reopened after the war. She went to school regularly, but modeled on holidays and met with her agent during Hogsmead weekend.

The students at Hogwarts had always liked her, but interest definitely peaked when her pictures began to appear in magazines. Plenty of boys asked her out, but the answer was always no. She'd much rather surround herself with a lot of good friends than have a boyfriend. Plus, she knew that none of the boys here were 'the one'. She had heard her parents' love story and from that she knew that when she saw him she would know. Until then she was content living with her friends. On her first day she was sorted into Gryffindor where she met Ginny Weasley. Ginny and Audrey were a lot alike in many ways, which was why they got along so well. Ginny introduced her to Hermione, Seamus, Dean and Lavender, who welcomed her into the group with open arms.

Audrey heard about Ginny's boyfriend, Harry Potter, and Hermione's fiancé, Ron Weasley. She couldn't believe they had already found love. It was clear that Seamus and Lavender were heading in a romantic direction, and Dean often spoke of a girl named Parvati that he fancied. She was surrounded by people all of the time, and had recently started dating Michael Corner, but she still felt alone. It dawned on her that technically she had always been alone. She expressed these feelings to Ginny, who told her she never had to feel that. That they were family and she was welcome to visit them whenever. Even though Audrey loved her friends, she never took Ginny up on that offer.

After they graduated Audrey continued modeling, which took her all over the world, making it hard to really keep up to date with old friends and boyfriends. On a photo shoot in Hawaii, Audrey recieved aletter from Michael, saying that he couldn't handle her lifestyle. Honestly, she couldn't handle it either. There were days when she couldn't even remember what counrty she was in and that was when she decided it might be time to go home. She had always thought of Australia as her home, but she never felt more at home than when she was in London. She decided to quit modeling so she could start a life there, and maybe rekindle her friendships from Hogwarts. Her father was happy to support her financially, but she thought it'd be interesting to do things on her own for once. She looked for jobs and came upon an ad that seemed interesting enough. It was an ad for an assistant to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and called for experienced, organized, and ambitious applicants.

Audrey was young and she wasn't exactly unorganized, but she definitely had ambition, so she sent in her application. Her resume probably hadn't won them over, but her interview did. She thought it was weird that the actually person she'd be working for wasn't in the interview, but brushed it off figuring he might be busy. When Audrey received the owl stating that she got the job, she was really excited. She had a feeling that something good was going to come out of this, but then again she _was_an optimist.

It didn't matter that she hadn't figured out what she wanted to be in life; she had many other fields to explore. It was ok that she hadn't fallen in love; she was only 19. Yes, she wanted a happily ever after, but she wasn't going to dwell on that. She had plenty of time to figure things out.

Audrey Carizzales didn't need a love story, but sometimes what we need and what we want have a funny way of not adding up just right.


	3. Boy Meets Girl

**Percy's POV**

There hadn't been anything special about today; everything had gone the same way it's gone for the past year and a half. Percy walked into his office and took off his overcoat as usual. He set his briefcase on the ground, sat in his big chair, and picked up the file of new cases that had been left on his desk. It wasn't until he heard someone clear their throat that he noticed there was someone else in the room. She was sitting near the window and had made something like a desk for herself out of the one of his old tables. She looked at him attentively, with some of the greenest eyes he had ever seen. Her skin was naturally tan and her curly hair had been pulled up into a high bun. He watched as she tapped her foot impatiently, bringing him to notice her long legs, and unusually high heels for a ministry worker. She was definitely beautiful, but he had no idea why she was there. Her sudden laughter brought him back to reality, and he found himself involuntarily smiling in response.

"Good morning." She chirped in a strong accent. "My name is Audrey Carizzales; I'm your new assistant."

"Percy Weasley." He responded as he walked towards her, ready to shake her hand. The girl, Audrey, surprised him and laughed before standing to greet him in a hug. "Will you just excuse me for a minute?" Percy was not one to use foul language, but for some reason he kept repeating 'what the hell?' under his breath, all the way to the Minister's office. He didn't even knock, as he rushed into Kingsley's office.

"Percy, I was expecting to see you soon." He greeted calmly. "What can I do for you?"

"Well Kingsley, do you have any idea about this Audrey girl? She's in my office and is claiming to be my new assistant."

"That's because she is your new assistant. Her interview was amazing; we think she's going to be great for the job."

"I don't doubt your judgment in her abilities, but I don't need an assistant." He replied.

"I know you don't think it's possible, but you work too hard. You come in first thing in the morning and you're the last one to leave. You never use your vacation days and rarely spend time with your family. You need help."

"But-"

"No but's Mr. Weasley. At some point you have to realize that it's ok to have a life outside of work. Take a break, see your family, have some fun."

"Fun?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Yes. That thing normal people engage in every now and then. Audrey is your new assistant and that's that."

"Yes, sir." Percy couldn't deny that he worked hard; that's just the way he was. All of his life he had to work hard to get the things he wanted, but now he just used work as a means to stay busy. If he wasn't drowning in work at all times, he'd have no excuse to not visit his family or deal with all of the issues he had going on. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to loosen up a bit, and a break wouldn't certainly hurt. Plus it'd be nice to have someone around.

"So I've got an assistant?"

"Yes."

"Very well. But Audrey's so….well, she's very uh, friendly."

"Well that works out perfectly. You don't have any friends, right?"

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><p><strong>Audrey's POV<strong>

Walking into the Ministry for the first time, Audrey could tell that she was way overdressed. Correction, everyone else was way underdressed. Her first order as assistant to someone really important was going to be helping these people with their wardrobes. She'd checked before she came in today, there was no dress code unless you are a part of the Wizengamot, so there was no need for everything to be so dull. Her purple high heels were probably the brightest color this building had ever seen.

When she walked into her boss's office, she immediately noticed how tidy it was. Everything looked like it had been set in the same place for years; and there had been no attempt at decoration. She had arrived 20 minutes early on purpose, just in case, and figured she had some time to kill. She wanted to show her boss that she was ready to get to work as soon as possible, so she made a desk for herself with a table that had been pushed to the back of the office.

Audrey rarely ever got nervous, and actually felt a rush of excitement as she heard the door knob turn. A man walked in, and went straight to business. He said nothing to her and didn't even look her way. She wondered if he even knew she was coming and cleared her throat to get his attention. His expression changed from shock, to confusion, to observant. She could tell he was studying her, so she studied him back. He was tall and pale, with adorably red hair. He wasn't fit like a Quidditch player, but he wasn't exactly thin either. His shape was kind of perfect. He was dressed nicely and his lips were set in a couldn't help but laugh a little at him, which caused him to smile- a gesture that looked out of place amidst his hard-set features. The staring contest had been fun, but she figured it might be a good time to introduce herself.

"Good morning. My name is Audrey Carizzales; I'm your new assistant." She greeted. His initial reaction to her voice led her to believe the Australian was pretty thick, which probably confused him. He walked towards her to shake her hand, and he introduced himself as Percy Weasley. She hadn't heard the name Weasley since she left Hogwarts, and instantly got the connection to Ginny. She hugged him, impulsively, before he excused himself from the room.

He had come back a while later, and seemed to have warmed up to the idea of having her as an assistant. Either that or he was spouting out random directions and policies just for the hell of it. She was to be here by 8, take notes in meetings, keep up with his schedule, run other errands, and most importantly, intercept all letters from his family. Her first week of work had been easy enough. She did everything he said, and they even talked every now and then. When a letter came to him from Ron Weasley, she couldn't help but interfere. She had gotten a similar letter from Hermione, and she knew that it was the invitation to their wedding. Audrey knew it wasn't her place, but she put the letter on Percy's desk thinking he might open it out of curiosity. When he saw it he immediately put it on her desk and reminded her about his no-contact policy with his family.

"Why?" she asked, even though he probably wouldn't tell her, nor should she question her boss.

"Well, it's better for everyone if we just don't have contact."

"I really doubt that, but ok. It won't happen again."

"Thank you. Now, you seem to have a grasp on the rules and your duties, but I just want to remind you that this is not a place for fun." He said seriously.

"Really? Because I've been here for a week and this place just screams fun to me." She responded. Audrey immediately regretted it, and thought he'd fire her or throw a fit, but surprisingly he laughed at her joke. They'd only spent about 8 days together, but she could tell that the two times she gotten him to smile were more than he'd had all last year. She liked it when he smiled.

"Pardon me?" he asked. Oh shoot, she had said that out loud. Well, no need in taking it back, it was the truth.

"I just noticed that you have a nice smile; I like it." He stared at her again, and for the first time in a long time she blushed.

"Are you Australian?" he asked randomly.

"I was born in Australia and my father's from there-"

"But you look-"

"Latina? Well my mother's from Portugal; Lisbon actually. It's confusing, I know."

"It's interesting; I like it." Was he flirting with her? For the second time in a long time; Audrey blushed.

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><p><strong>Percy's POV<strong>

It had been three months since Audrey had come to the ministry to work with Percy, and for some reason, the two of them were friends. For some reason he smiled and laughed and joked when she was around him, and every now and then he could make her blush. He enjoyed her company and for some reason, she enjoyed his as well.

They'd learned a lot about each other in that time. She knew his favorite coffee and what he liked to have for lunch. He knew autumn was her favorite season, and that she lived in a small flat with her cat named 'Puppy'. He also knew that she named him puppy because she was allergic to dogs, and had gotten a cat instead. She knew he loved Mondays and that he secretly thought working at the Ministry was boring. He told her things he had never told anyone else. She listened. Audrey was spontaneous and genuine and fiery; she reminded him of home. She reminded him of Ginny. For the past three months they had been co-habitating within his office and Percy wondered if that was the only reason they got along. She could just be friendly with him because she spent so much time with him at work, and for some reason that made him upset.

"Percy, you have a meeting in an hour with the Under Secretary. Should I get the conference room ready?" she asked.

"No."

"Do you want to have the meeting here or-"

"Cancel the meeting; we're taking the rest of the day off."

"Excuse me? Did I hear Percy Weasley say he's leaving work? Early?"

"Yes. If we get out of here now Kingsley shouldn't see us leave."

"Oh my goodness, Percy's coming out of the fun closet!" she teased as she grabbed her purse and coat. He grabbed her by the hand and the two of them ran through the halls of the ministry like children. It reminded him of the time when he was 8 and had to come to work with his father. Bill and Charlie had been running around the Ministry and Percy told on them.

He felt sort of ridiculous, but when he looked at Audrey she looked like she didn't have a care in the world. She laughed her contagious laugh, and like always, he smiled at the sound. When they got to the washrooms, they went their separate ways and flushed themselves out of the ministry. Percy met Audrey at the women's entrance, where she was still laughing and had let her wild curls out of her tight bun. "So now where are we going?"

"I figured I'd go home and relax. You can do whatever you like, you've earned a day off." He answered. He had the urge to ask her to stay with him, but figured that'd be too much.

"Oh no, you're not getting rid of me that easily Perce. We're going to enjoy this day."

"You want to spend your day with me?"

"Who wouldn't want to spend a whole day with their best friend outside of their stuffy old office? Let's go, time's a wasting!"

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><p><strong>Audrey's POV<strong>

Audrey and Percy had gotten closer than she'd ever expected. He thought he was boring and uptight, but she thought he was just passive. She thought it was sweet that he was kind of awkward, and that he acted like a gentleman around her all of the time. He was charming and thoughtful where most guys usually treated her with no respect at all. She liked the fact that she could make him smile and that he could make her blush. It was kind of a secret game of hers to see how much she could get him to smile every day. She liked that Percy didn't regard other girls the same way, and she found it sweet when he got all overprotective around other men. Audrey liked Percy, and she had a feeling that he could feel the same.

"So Perce, where are we going for lunch today?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you I won't be going to lunch; we're having the final vote on the workplace relationship policy."

"Good! That's a stupid policy, go vote it down boss!"

"Are you crazy? I'm voting in favor of the decree."

"Percy, why would you vote for that?"

"Romantic relationships in the workplace are completely inappropriate. Could you imagine dating a co-worker?"

"Yes."

"Oh yeah? Who?" he asked in his jealous voice. She laughed as that confirmed to her that he might just like her too.

"No one."


	4. Girl Helps Boy

Hope you guys are enjoying the story!  
>Special thanks to <em><strong>Avanell<strong>_ for having such great eyes :-)

-Jazz

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><p>In Percy's 24 years of life, he had never met a woman like Audrey Lorraine Carizzales. They had worked together for a year now, and it had been 365 of the most peaceful days of his life. When he said peaceful, he was referring to the comfort of knowing she was going to be around, not the way they regarded each other. Oh no; there was nothing peaceful about them. Percy was very particular and strong-willed, and Audrey had little quirks that really got under his skin. She was always tapping her foot, as if she couldn't wait to be done with whatever she was doing. She had a way of talking in circles that were so crazy they made sense and she loved to argue. Audrey could argue down to her last breath that the sky was purple if she wanted to, and you really had no choice but to agree. She always meant well, and it was almost impossible to stay mad at her for longer than 20 minutes.<p>

He was coming upon minute 15 on being angry in the aftermath of an argument they seemed to be having a lot lately. Audrey was set on getting Percy to reconnect with his family. She had always been one of those girls that was close to her parents, and she couldn't understand how he could distance himself from his family members. She just didn't get it. He had told her all of the things he'd been through with his family, and her only response had been 'but they're your family'. Truth be told, Percy had never felt less like a Weasley in his life. He was ashamed of the person he had let himself become back then. Granted, he had changed a lot since then, but it still hurt to think about the past.

"They're not going to give up on you." She said in a small voice. "You're trying to push them away, make them hate you; they won't do it."

"How do you know that?" he asked, giving up on keeping things together. If she wanted to go there, he'd go there.

"Because they're your family Percy. Don't you get what that means? They're your flesh and blood and they're here for you always. Even when you leave them, or fight, or upset them, your family will be there."

"They shouldn't. They should just forget about me. I've haven't talked to a single one of them in over a year and I still get bloody letters from the lot of them. They insist on treating me like family Audrey, I don't deserve a family."

"Everyone deserves a family Percy, and you have one. If you think that what you're doing is going to make them forget you, you're wrong. You're the only one that's going to get hurt. You're missing everything Percy, do you even know what's going on with them? You missed Bill and Fleur's wedding last year, you weren't at Ginny's graduation- did you know that Ron and Hermione got married? The two of them got married, and his brother wasn't even there to support him. How do you think that made them feel?" Hearing all of the things he had missed over the years, Percy realized that one, she had been reading his letters and two, even though he hadn't been there, their lives had gone on. They had moved on, which is what he thought he'd wanted, but he didn't feel the way he thought he would. They were growing and and living life, while he seemed to be the only one burdening himself with the mistakes of his past. "Do you even think about them at all?"

"You think I'm not aware of what I've done? I think about it every day Audrey. Every single day."

"Then why don't you do something about it? You act like you don't care." she pressed.

"Why do _you_ care?" he screamed. "It's none of your business what I do with my family."

"I _made_ it my business because I care about you Percy. I care and worry about you so much-"

"Well don't!"

"Ok, you don't get to tell me whether or not I can care about you. I care; deal with it."

"You're so frustrating! Why can't you just let it go?"

"I'll let it go when you stop running from your past. Why won't you let anyone help you?"

"I don't _need _help!"

"Yes. You. Do! I'm here with you every day trying to be as supportive as possible but you make it so damn hard! You push everybody away with no regard to their feelings, but I'm not going to be one of them. I'm here for you Percy, whether you like it or not." she said defiantly, before her expression turned soft. "Let me be here for you."

Percy let out a huge sigh. She looked hurt, which caught him a little bit off guard. Fighting with her never got him anywhere; you'd think he'd have learned by now. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"I'll forgive you as long as you promise to stop being so impartial to the idea of seeing your family again."

"I just…I don't know." He said defeated. This was the most he'd ever let himself think about all of his family issues, or feel much of anything at all, and it didn't feel great.

"Will you please just consider going to talk to them? You can't keep doing this to yourself; it kills me to see you all alone. Please?"

"I'll think about it." He answered. She smiled sadly before coming to him and kissing him on the cheek. Without really thinking about it Percy kissed her. The feel of her lips on his sent sparks of electricity through his body. It was like the world had stopped around them and there was only her and him. The kiss was gentle and passionate and exquisite; there was nothing else like it. He poured everything he had into that kiss; every fear, every joy, every insecurity, and every confusing, new and frustrating emotion she had brought out of him was put into that kiss. To his surprise he felt her soft, full lips respond to his with as much, if not more, urgency and understanding. If it wasn't for a knock on his door, Percy didn't think he'd ever let go of the girl in his arms. She smiled at him shyly before fixing her already perfect hair and opening the door.

"Hello Syndal, may I help you with something?" Audrey asked calmly, as if nothing just happened between them.

"Sorry to bother you Audrey, Mr. Weasley." One of the new interns said as she entered the office. "The minister needs you both to sign these forms stating that you are aware of the new workplace relationship policy. The decree is in full effect as of today; do either of you have any questions?"

"No." they responded in unison.

"Very well then. Have a good day." The door closed behind the intern and the two of them looked at each other apologetically. Neither of them was going to have a good day.


	5. Things Get Better

**Audrey's POV**

It had been a month since her and Percy's kiss, and things had gotten _really_ awkward between them. They never ate lunch together or did anything that wasn't work related if they didn't absolutely have to. He would send her on long errands out of the building so that they were hardly in the office together, and when they were together he listened to the radio or played CD's. He rarely spoke to her at all and barely even looked at her when she spoke to him. At first, Audrey thought he just needed space from their argument about his family, but it was becoming more and more clear every day that he was avoiding her. She knew she could be a little annoying sometimes, but she couldn't think of anything she'd done that could have pissed him off this badly. She thought they'd be together by now, but obviously that was the furthest thing from his mind. Lately Audrey just counted down the minutes until she could leave, because the silence in the office was deafening.

"Percy, you have that meeting with Kingsley in 15 minutes. Need me to take notes?" she asked.

"That won't be necessary, thanks."

"Alright. Should I get ready for the 4 o' clock meeting then?"

"No, it's just a follow-up from last week's case. The new intern should be able to handle it." The new quiet, bouncy, doe-eyed intern had been handling a lot these days. There were millions of people she could help out, but she always seemed to find her way in Percy's office or meetings. It was really annoying; what kind of name is Syndal anyway? Thinking about her was just upsetting Audrey even more.

"Great. Do you need me to do anything other than sit here all day?" she asked. He didn't respond and she literally wanted to strangle him. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me Percival Ignatius Weasley. Why are you ignoring me?"

"I'm not ignoring you."

"Sending me to a coffee shop an hour away just so we wouldn't have to be near each other? Yeah, I'd say you're ignoring me."

"I've just been busy." he responded still without looking at her. She knew for a fact he hadn't been 'busy' because she gave him his schedule everyday. Something was up with him, and it had all started with that bloody kiss.

"Do you regret kissing me?" she asked. "Because I totally get it if you do. Actually I don't get it but-"

"What? Of course not, do you regret kissing me back?"

"No. I don't regret anything, but you've been acting weird ever since. I was beginning to think the kiss was either a mistake, or it just didn't mean the same thing to you."

"It meant the world to me Audrey."

"Great, me too. So what's the problem?"

"You want to know what the problem is? I will tell you what my problem is. I love you. I love your name and your weird accent; I love the way you look at me, and I love your gorgeous smile. I love that you make me smile when I have nothing to smile about. I love the way you walk, I love your eyes, and I  
>love the sound of your laugh. I love the way you get mad easily but have a rebound rate of about 5 seconds. I love that you get me and I love the way that I don't understand you at all. I love the way I can be having the worst day of my life and seeing you completely changes my mood. I love you. That's my problem."<p>

"So you love me? I'm still missing the problem." She said softly, taken aback by his outburst. It was rare that he ever used that many words at once, but he wouldn't have said any of it if he didn't mean it. He really did love her, but now he was going to ruin the moment.

"Were you not there when we signed the work relationship forms?" he asked. That was a stupid question, obviously she was there.

"Yes I was, so what?"

"So, according to the decree we can't be together."

"Are you serious Percy? Screw the decree. I am not going to let a stupid piece of paper tell me who I can or can't be with. It wasn't even charmed or anything." She argued. She honestly could not believe him sometimes.

"Just because there's no charm legally binding us to the policy doesn't make it any less official. If we engage in a relationship both of us could lose our jobs. What good would a relationship be if the both of us our jobless."

"So if neither of our jobs were on the line-"

"If neither of our jobs were on the line and you weren't my employee, I would want nothing more than to spend every waking moment by your side. If you would have me of course." He said sweetly. He could be so sweet when he wasn't being all uptight and responsible. Audrey knew at that moment that what they had wasn't worth throwing away over some stupid piece of paper. She could care less about the Ministry.

"Fine, I quit."

"You what?

"I quit. I want to be with you and you want to be with me, but we can't be together due to the document that I warned you to vote against. Our options are to either date each other and not work together, or not date so we can work together at a job I don't like that much anyway."

"I can't ask you to quit your job Audrey, it's not fair to you."

"You didn't ask me, I'm doing it on my own."

"You really want to do this? You're absolutely sure?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I've never been surer of anything in my life."

Audrey couldn't help but laugh as he ran at her full speed and spun her in the air. His lips found hers and she was instantly mesmerized by his embrace. Just like the first time, the kiss was gentle and assertive and loving and possessive. It was Percy and Audrey. She knew that he needed her, but it was becoming more and more evident that she needed him too. He was controlled when she was wild, sensible when she impractical, and persistent when she was lazy. One day you could find them reading books in the park, and the next day they could be at a Weird Sisters concert. On any given day one could learn from the other, adding a certain depth to their friendship that was very rare. They were more than just good friends; he was her other half.

"I love you Audrey."

"I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: They're finally together! Yay! Thanks to everyone for the reviews, you guys are awesome!**

**-Jazz**


	6. She Meets The Family

**Percy's POV  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Percy had made a lot of mistakes in his life and this could very well be his next. Somehow he had let Audrey persuade him to try and make amends with his family. It sounded like a terrible idea as soon as she got the words out, and he'd said no. But then, she did that thing where her eyes go a bit darker and it looks like he's the only thing she's ever wanted in the whole world. Audrey was hands down the sexiest woman on the planet, and if Percy wasn't swayed by her seductions he was very well the dumbest man on the planet.<p>

Needless to say, Audrey had gotten her way, and now he was standing in the cold, on Christmas Eve, at The Burrow, with a woman that none of them had ever seen before. His father would be silent, his brothers would take turns beating the daylights out of him, Ginny would hurt him just as bad with only words, and his mother; oh Merlin, his mother would probably have a heart attack. This was a terrible idea.

"We shouldn't be here, this was a mistake." He said as they waited for someone to answer the door. It felt weird being back, and to show up out of the blue on Christmas Eve was something close to crazy. Audrey grabbed his hand reassuringly before stepping closer to him.

"This is possibly the best idea I've ever had; everything will be fine." She said before knocking on the door again.

"That's the exact opposite of what I'm thinking right now."

The door finally swung open and revealed a young woman holding a baby that had to be about 2 years old. The woman was an inch or two shorter than Audrey, and had fiery red hair that stopped at her waist. It was Ginny, and she just stared at him without saying a word.

"Gin, who was that?" he heard Harry yell before coming to the door. "Bloody hell."

"Buddy hell!" the baby repeated. Audrey laughed at the toddler and Ginny seemed to notice her for the first time.

"Audrey?" she asked skeptically. Percy was now confused. He knew that he'd told Audrey about all of his siblings, but how did Ginny know Audrey?

"Ginny, it's been too long! May we come in?"

"Of course you can, sorry it's just that…well Percy I…I can't believe you're really here." She said before throwing herself at him. He let go of Audrey's hand so he could wrap his little sister in his arms. The two of them hadn't so much as waved to each other in over 10 years, but none of that seemed to matter for a short while. The sentimental moment came to abrupt end when Ginny smacked Percy on the back of the head. "You insensitive little prat! I can't _believe _you'd come here!"

"Listen-" he tried, but quickly stopped when Ginny raised her hand warningly.

"You know what? I know you're thinking that I'm going to get angry and rip you a new one, BUT I will not yell at you." Ginny said calmly as she walked towards the kitchen. "Oh Mo-om! We have a guest!"

* * *

><p><strong>Audrey's POV<strong>

* * *

><p>There was a lot going on in the Weasley household for it to seem so quiet. There was the constant sound of forks hitting plates, and the occasional cough or sip every now and then. The male Weasley's seemed to be competing to see who could actually set Percy on fire with their eyes, while Harry just looked around awkwardly. Teddy, who Audrey had connected to Ginny in some way, was having a conversation with Fleur's pregnant belly, and Hermione was tapping her finger on the table impatiently. Molly and Arthur seemed to be in their own little bubble and Ginny looked like she was holding back laughter, just waiting for the fighting to start. It wasn't unlike Audrey to break awkward silences; but it wasn't her place, so she lightly kicked Percy hoping he would catch on.<p>

"Hello everyone!" he said awkwardly. Oh for the love of Merlin, she thought he'd say something a little more meaningful. His brothers seemed to liven up at his dense greeting; let the craziness begin.

"Hello there Percy. Fancy seeing my kid brother here at his own home. _Please_ enlighten us on what our lowly souls have done to deserve your presence at our dinner table." Bill shot back.

"I- I- I-"

"You- you- you- what?" Ron interrupted. "Decided to get down and dirty; slum it up with the old Weasley clan for a night?"

"No, I-"

"Have you suddenly remembered that you're a part of this family as well? Or, are you here on some kind of secret Ministry mission?" asked George.

"If you'll just hear me out-"

"Listen, if we want to hear the tale of how we lost two brothers in the war-"

"That's enough!" their mother screamed, silencing the entire house. "Enough! I don't want to hear another negative word out of any of you. Listen to what Percy has to say."

His brothers had been hard on him, but they did what they were told. Everyone turned to Percy and gave them the full attention to hear what he had to say. Personally she had no idea what he would say and Audrey could sense the nerves coming off of him, but she looked at him and tried to convey as much love and support as she could with just her eyes.

"I'm sorry, to all of you. My behavior these past few years has been terrible and I am truly sorry for the way I acted. I abandoned you all and tried to disassociate myself from this family, and for that I don't think I can ever forgive myself. After the war I wanted so badly to come back home, but I didn't feel like I deserved to be a part of the family. I thought I didn't belong and that if I just distanced myself from you, you wouldn't have to deal with the burden of trying to accept me as your brother and son.I kept to myself for all those years thinking that I was doing what's best for you all but I was wrong. I realize now that I have nothing without family and I was a fool for ever fighting against it. I know a stupid apology won't make up for everything I've missed, but I hope that you all will give me the chance to get to know you again. Give me a chance to show you all that I've changed, and have become a different man than the selfish, pompous, insecure boy I used to be. I'm not asking you to forget what I've done in the past, but to just consider letting me be a part of this family's future."

The silence that followed his speech was filled with tension, but she knew everything would be ok.

"Was that an apology?" Ginny asked, obviously trying to hold back tears.

"Well I'll be damned, Percy just apologized." George teased. "Welcome back." Audrey was secretly dancing inside; her plan had been brilliant. His apology helped, but coming over today to talk to them had been all her idea.

"My boy!" his mom cried as she made her way over to him. "Oh, this is wonderful! Come Arthur, let's make everyone tea! Would you like some as well dear?" she said to Audrey.

* * *

><p><strong>Percy's POV<strong>

* * *

><p>At that moment all eyes went to Audrey, who was practically jumping up and down with excitement at this point. He would bet anything that she was praising herself for her hand in the night's events, and was just waiting for her chance to get to talk to his family.<p>

"Yes, please." She said happily, making Percy smile. He loved seeing her happy. "It's so nice to finally get to properly meet all of you; I've heard such good things! We brought gifts for everyone, should we give them to you now or later?"

"Later is fine." Ginny answered. "What I want to know is how you and Percy got together. You two are together right?"

"Yeah, well we met through work about a year ago." She answered coolly. Percy had no idea how she could just speak with them like she'd known them all her life. There was no hesitation or any signs of discomfort, she just jumped right in. "Right after graduation I decided to quit modeling and get a more serious job; and what's more serious than the government?"

"You just graduated?" Bill asked.

"She graduated with me and Hermione." Ginny answered quickly. So that was how the two of them knew each other. Interesting. "So you quit modeling and now you work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with my brother?"

"That's an interesting career change." Hermione added in that judgy voice that would be rude if you didn't know her.

"I used to work there, but I quit. I had never really intended for that to be a permanent thing, and I was ready for a change. I'm thinking about trying fashion next; or maybe Quidditch or something." Percy couldn't help but laugh a little at the woman sitting next to him; she really was something. "Don't laugh, I'm serious!"

"I know you are, that's why it's funny." He responded.

"Well Audrey, you seem to be very interesting and fun and adventurous." Ron complimented. "Why on _earth_ are you dating Percy?"

"Because I love him." She answered simply. Percy chuckled again at how simple that was. He loved her and she loved him and it was easy.

"How?" George teased.

"Good question. It's got to be some form of mind control; that's the only explanation I've come up with so far." He joked. For the first time, ever, his family laughed at his joke, rather than at him. It felt good to let his guard down and kid with them. This was what family was supposed to feel like, and Percy had been missing out all along.

* * *

><p><strong>Audrey's POV<br>**

* * *

><p>This day couldn't have gone any better if Audrey had hand-written a script. She couldn't believe he was worried that his family wouldn't want him back, and now she could say 'I told you so' as much as she wanted. She had gotten to see Ginny and Hermione again, and had avoided the awkward topic of being too young to date Percy. More than that she had <em>killed<em> at 'meet the family'. Everyone genuinely seemed to like her, and she had a play date with Teddy next week that she was truly looking forward to. Ron had challenged her to a pick-up game of Quidditch and she and Fleur were going shopping after her baby was born in May. His father had been fascinated with her knowledge of muggles and the fact that she knew how to drive, and George said he could get used to having someone around that was actually funny besides him.

All in all she had a good time, and she really looked forward to spending more time with them because that meant Percy would be spending time with them as well. She couldn't have asked for a better Christmas gift than knowing she single-handedly brought a family back together. She was practically Father Christmas.

"Well, I think it's time we get going. See you all tomorrow?" Percy asked.

"Yes, of course. It was lovely meeting you Audrey, please keep in touch dear." Molly said as they made their way out of the door. She had convinced Percy to let her drive there, and unlocked the car so he could get in while she said her goodbyes.

"Of course I will, I had a wonderful time. See you all soon."

"Hey Audrey!" Ginny called before Audrey could get too far away. "I don't know what happened or what you did, but thank you for bringing my brother back home."

"He was always coming back; I just sped up the process. You know I'm impatient." She said with a small laugh. She hugged Ginny and kissed Teddy goodbye, then climbed into her car. "I really want to say I told you so but I don't want to ruin the moment."

"Very funny." Percy responded dryly, even though he was smiling. "I think my family likes you more than they like me."

"They like me a lot, but they love you."

"I love _you_." He said surely. Audrey knew for a fact that she and Percy shouldn't make sense. They were complete opposites and didn't have much in common, but she was also sure of the fact that when he said that to her, nothing else mattered. Being loved by someone gives you strength, and she felt strongest when she was with him.

"I love you too. And don't you forget it."


	7. Someone Has A Secret

**Percy's POV**

* * *

><p>It had been about 2 years since Audrey moved in with Percy, and the dynamics had definitely changed. He loved having her around, but things had just been a lot different since Ginny's wedding last summer. The two of them were happy, but it felt like something was missing. Both of them would get into these weird moods and avoid each other. Audrey had been spending a lot of time working at the Interior Design firm she had started last year, and Percy spent most of time at The Ministry. They never went on dates anymore, and the only time they really went out together was when they went to The Burrow, where she would catch up with his family and play with the kids, and he spent most of his time with his brothers.<p>

Sometimes when Percy did come home earlier hoping to have some alone time with Audrey, he would come home to find that she was babysitting Teddy and Victoire. He would say something, but she seemed happy when she was playing with the babies. All he'd ever wanted was to make her happy but now it felt like they were stuck in this comfortable routine.

In most relationships, calm meant good; but as it pertains to Percy and Audrey, calm is never a good sign. If she wasn't talking 100 miles a minute, or planning something, or suggesting crazy things, something was wrong; and Percy had a feeling that it was his fault. The problem there is that Percy isn't a mind reader. Yes, he knew Occlumency, but he wasn't going to invade her mind just to get her to talk to him. He'd just talk to her; it couldn't be that hard.

"Audrey?" he called as he walked into their flat. "Are you home?"

"Yeah, I'm in the bathroom!" she answered. Percy walked the 20 steps to the bathroom and saw Teddy jumping up and down in his towel while Audrey attempted to dry off Vic. _Perfect. _"How was your day?"

"It was good. I got a lot done; you?"

"Better, since I got to spend it with the cutest kids in the whole world." She cooed at them. "Aren't they just adorable?"

"Yeah. Is everything ok with you?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"I don't know, you just seem a bit put out these days." She looked at him and gave a sad smile before picking up the kids and walking to the bedroom to dress them. "Audrey?"

"Do you feel like we're stuck, Percy? Like there's no means to an end for us; this is it?"

"I'm not sure what you mean. We definitely have been in a funk lately, but I don't think this is it. Do you feel that way?"

"I don't know. We were fine; then all of a sudden everything felt different. It's like I'm waiting for something else to happen, but part of me knows nothing will. Does that make sense?"

"Not at all." He answered truthfully. She quickly sat Teddy in his stroller and situated Vic in the weird looking thing that Fleur called a bjorn. He noticed that she grabbed their baby bags and another that he recognized as hers. "Where are you going?"

"I'm taking them to Ginny's; Fleur is going to pick up Vicky from there. I'm spending the night with Ginny since Harry's on an extended mission and the house will be empty. Is that ok with you?"

"Of course; you don't have to ask my permission to do anything." He said as he pulled her into a pretty uncomfortable hug, seeing as how there was a baby in between them.

"Alright. Well I'll see you at your parents tomorrow? It's Ron's birthday dinner."

"Right; see you then. I love you."

"Love you too." She answered before walking out of the door. Percy flopped down on the bed in frustration; he had no idea what was up with her. All this talk about 'ends' and 'this is it'; what more could she want? He had tried to get them a bigger house; but whenever he brought it up she shut him down and said they didn't need one if they had nothing to fill it with. He told her she had an unlimited budget and could fill it with whatever furniture she liked, but that only annoyed her.

Maybe she hadn't meant furniture. Did she want kids? Surely she couldn't be upset that they didn't have kids; the two of them aren't even married. Wait, did she want to get married? To him? Did he want to marry her? Percy had never in his life thought he would get married; it just didn't seem like something that was in the cards for him. The more he thought about marrying Audrey, the crazier it seemed. He was definitely feeling something towards the idea but he wasn't sure if the feelings were positive or negative. Percy thought he had everything he wanted; but now he wasn't so sure. He needed to talk to someone and the only place he could think of to find someone was the Ministry. He ran to the floo without even thinking and was standing in his office within minutes.

"Mr. Weasley? I thought you were taking the rest of the day off?" his assistant Syndal asked.

"No I needed to come back and clear my head. Um, can we talk?" he asked awkwardly. She giggled and made her way towards his desk slowly."

"Of course; we can do whatever you like Mr. Weasley."

"Percy. Call me Percy."

* * *

><p><strong>Audrey's POV<br>**

* * *

><p>"Yesterday was extremely embarrassing! I'm never going near your family again." Audrey complained to Ginny while they waited for the waitress to bring their coffees.<p>

"Are you kidding me?" Ginny asked, "You never get embarrassed. Why'd you feel that way?"

"Were you not at Ron's birthday dinner last night? You saw what happened." Audrey whined, not wanting to relive yesterday's events. It had been a normal Saturday at The Burrow until Ron and Angelina got into an argument about who was the better Quidditch player. George being George had started a pool, and it ended up in a full-on Quidditch match.

Audrey loved Quidditch and was all set to play until Percy decided to take the argument a little further and suggest that great Quidditch skills are a Weasley trait. Her boyfriend then had the 'brilliant' idea to make the game Weasleys vs. others. Why he had suggested that she didn't understand, but all she knew is that she felt really dumb when she realized she was the only one there that wasn't in any way a Weasley. Ginny was technically a Potter, but she'd been born into the Weasley family. Harry, Hermione, Angelina and Fleur had all married into the Weasley family; even little Teddy had been legally adopted. Audrey was the only one there that wasn't family.

"Are you talking about the whole Quidditch thing? That wasn't a big deal; you know you're a part of this family." Ginny said.

"You could say that, but I want to be in the family for real, not by default because I'm dating your brother and you guys can't get enough of my charm and wit."

"Don't forget how humble you are." Ginny joked. "Listen to me Audrey; you don't need to be married into the family to feel its effects. I mean, you still get the same ugly jumpers I do on Christmas, don't you?"

"You just don't get it. Yes, I want to be a part of the family but I want to start my own with Percy as well. I've been a bridesmaid five times already Ginny. Five! You're my best friend and I love you, but I was so jealous of you at your wedding because you get to be with the person you love for the rest of your life. I want that with Percy. I want to move out of our stuffy flat and get a big, yet tasteful, house. I love babysitting Teddy and Vic, but I want kids of my own. I thought that if I had them over enough he'd get the hint that I want kids of my own. I'm ready to start a life with him but he just doesn't want the same I guess." She said as tears began forming in her eyes. She could barely let out a cry before Ginny was across the table hugging her tightly.

"I'm sure that's not the case Audrey; Percy's mad about you."

"I drive him mad is more like it."

"That's not true at all. I've known Percy for 22 long years and I've never seen him happier than the day he brought you to The Burrow. You do realize he told us he loved you; you know how big that is? Aside from you I think he's only ever said that to my mother. I think he tried to express that he loved me through being less of a prat, but he's definitely never said it to me or our brothers. For him to say that about you in front of all of us is huge. He loves you; don't doubt that."

"Then why hasn't he asked me to marry him or even brought up the future?" she asked, refusing to let Ginny's comforting get to her. "Lately he's been staying at the office really late, and he acts weird whenever I try to talk to him or be normal at all. I think- I think he's cheating on me."

"The hell he is." she said before storming towards her seat, grabbing her purse and leaving money for her coffee on the table.

"Ginny, where are you going?" Audrey called to a retreating head of red hair.

"I'm going to have a chat with me _dear _big brother."

* * *

><p><strong>Ginny's POV<br>**

* * *

><p>Ginny dealt with a lot of stressful things on a daily basis. Being a professional Quidditch player, being a wife to the most perfect man on the planet, remodeling a house the size of Germany, and taking care of a rambunctious toddler. She thought that since her brothers were adults, she would not have to worry about them, but clearly that was not the case. She was currently making her way through the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to either kill or seriously wound Percy. In the 3 years they'd known each other she had never seen Audrey crying or upset, and her brother would not get away with treating her however he was treating her or doing whatever he was doing. She opened the door quickly and was thrown off by the sight of her brother hunched over the table in deep conversation with a petite blonde girl that looked about 18 or 19 years old.<p>

"What the hell is this?" she asked furiously. Both heads snapped up guiltily, but both relaxed when they realized who it was .

"Ginny, you can't just barge in like that." He said calmly

"Yeah whatever, we need to talk. Now."

"Ma'am, do you have an appointment?" the blonde girl asked.

"No. Do I look like a 'ma'am' to you? I'm like 3 years older than you."

"Sorry ma'am, but you're going to have to schedule an appointment-"

"OUT! NOW!" she barked at the girl. She quickly fled the room and Ginny would have felt bad, if she didn't remember why she'd come there in the first place. "You have some serious explaining to do."

"What do you mean? What's wrong?"

"Don't try and play dumb; I know your little secret."

"You do? Who told you?"

"No one had to tell me Percy, it's obvious."

"Really? I thought I had been hiding it pretty well." Percy replied. Ginny really couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could he be so heartless about the situation? It was like he could care less if his girlfriend would be devastated when she found out. "Well since you know, I trust that you'll keep it a secret."

"Not likely Percy. She's one of my closest friends; I can't just not tell her."

"Don't! I'm going to tell her in my own time. I have a plan."

"I can't believe you're doing this to Audrey. Why are you waiting so long to tell her? She thinks she did something wrong."

"She didn't. Honestly Gin; it's not her, it's me."

"I _know _it's you."

"Well, Syndal's been helping me think of a way to tell her." He said with a small smile. This man, her brother, was truly disgusting.

"I'm going to guess that your perky blonde assistant is Syndal?" she asked. Percy nodded and his smile grew even wider. _Gross. _"I can't even be here right now. I won't tell; but I am _not _happy about this."

"I thought you'd be happy for me; I'm finally going to be with the person I love."

"You really love this girl?" Ginny asked.

"With all of my heart." He answered confidently. Ginny couldn't even stand to say goodbye or look at her brother as she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. All she knew was that she couldn't keep this a secret. She had to tell Audrey.


	8. A Bump In The Road

**Haven't updated in SUCH along time! Sorry about that, but I'm back and ready to roll with this story! Enjoy the chapter :-)  
>-Jazz <strong>

**Audrey's POV  
><strong>

* * *

><p>For the past week or so, Audrey had been feeling sick. The thought of her boyfriend sneaking around with that infantile intern of his literally made her sick to her stomach. It made her feel even worse that she hadn't had the balls to confront him about. She'd known for 8 days now and hadn't done a thing about it. It was clear what would have to be done when she finally confronted him. Yes, he was the love of her life, but she wasn't the kind of girl to let infidelity slide. They would have to break up and the thought of that made her even sicker.<p>

She ran to the bathroom for the second time that morning but didn't even have the strength to shuffle back to her bed this time. She needed to go to the doctor and get some kind of potion or something. Hopefully there was a potion available to ease her stomach and give her the strength to break up with Percy. Again, those words in that order made her insides bubble, and she threw up what little was left in her stomach. She needed to get to St. Mungo's _now._

There was no telling what Audrey looked like as she dragged her feet through the sickeningly white hospital. She hadn't done anything to her hair and just threw on whatever was closest in the closet. There was probably no need for her to get dressed up anyway, it wasn't like she had a boyfriend to impress any longer. Like clockwork, the thought of her losing Percy created a bubbling in her stomach and she ran to the nearest trash receptacle.

"Audrey? Are you ok?" she heard a familiar voice call.

"Hermione! Oh dear god, I've never been so happy to see you in my life."

"You don't look so good; let's get you to a room and see what's going on." After that, all Audrey heard from her friend's mouth was a jumble of healer terms that made absolutely no sense to her. She had gone through about 20 tests and had been looked at by at least 3 different healers. "Ok Audrey, we have good news and great news."

"Great? I'll take the good first."

"Well the good news is you're not dying, nor do you have any serious medical condition."

"Really? Not even stress-induced nausea or acute panic disorders or something?"

"Nope, no made up illnesses. But I am curious about something that showed up on your results. When did you say you start feeling sick?"

"Usually it's early in the morning or late at night, whenever I think about Percy." She confessed. She knew she could trust Hermione; that girl was like a vault.

"Thinking about your boyfriend makes you feel sick?"

"No, thinking about breaking up with him makes me feel queasy and- and-" And as if to prove her point, her body reacted the same way it always did when she thought that thought. "that happens."

"Ok, doctor-patient relationship aside, you're breaking up with Percy? Why?"

"I'm doing it before he breaks up with me first. I know that's childish, but given the pretense of the situation I should be the one doing the breaking up. I refuse to have him come home one day and tell me he's replaced me with that little chirpy, idiotic, pale, tramp. That would be so unfair."

Audrey could see Hermione trying to work out everything she had just told her in her head. Her facial expression changed from shocked to thoughtful to confused.

"Percy cheated on you? That doesn't seem likely."

"Well, he _is _cheating. Ginny saw it herself."

"Ginny saw it." She repeated slowly, as if Audrey had just made it up.

"Yes! She walked in on him and his assistant last week and said Percy even admitted it and asked her to keep it a secret." Audrey didn't like that Hermione wasn't getting angry, or visibly coming up with a new disease to give that little home wrecker. "Hello? Did you hear me?"

"I'm not saying Percy didn't do it, but Ginny has a tendency to act then speak before she thinks. She lets her feelings override logic and explanations; you should probably hear him out. Not talking to him is the wrong thing to do; there could be a serious misunderstanding going on and you could be putting all four of you in an unnecessarily painful situation."

Ginny was impulsive and protective, but Audrey couldn't see where there could be a misunderstanding here. It was black and white. Simple.

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind. What was the other news?"

"Well, maybe you should talk to Percy first then-"

"Spit it out Hermione!"

"Alright alright. You're…pregnant." She said with a nervous smile. Pregnant? What the hell? "Congratulations?"

* * *

><p><strong>Percy's POV<strong> 

* * *

><p>Percy was not a stranger to making mistakes and this had been a huge mistake. He should have told her right away; now he'd been keeping a secret for a month and where had that gotten him? Nowhere. Audrey was more distant than ever these days and since things had gotten weird with them, it had taken a toll on his entire life. He opened the door to their flat and felt that same feeling of anxiety that usually came with coming home these days.<p>

"Audrey?" he called, hoping for a civil response. Lately she'd been a whirlwind of emotions and he could never tell when she was going to be nice or mean.

"I'm in the kitchen!"

He put down his briefcase and checked his pockets before going to the kitchen, where he found Audrey dressed in a tightly fitting black dress with her hair in a sophisticated bun. He couldn't remember the last time she had dressed so…revealingly.

"You look amazing; what's the occasion?"

"Nothing. I was just trying on my clothes; seeing what fits. You're home late."

"I got caught up at the office with Syndal but she's got everything under control."

"Syndal the intern?" she asked in a hollow voice, as if there was another one in his life.

"Actually as of a week ago she's now Syndal the assistant."

"To you personally?"

"Yeah."

"Congratulations to you both. Must be nice to work together all of the time now."

"It's alright. I'd much prefer spending all of my time with you."

"And yet, you spend the vast majority of your time with her. Why don't you just move in with her? Or does she divide up her time between men in the ministry, ruining their relationships one by one?" Percy couldn't take this anymore. He'd tried being sweet to her, giving her space but she'd been increasingly hostile and hard to live with lately.

"What has gotten into you lately?" he asked carefully. She seemed pretty unstable at this point and he wasn't sure how to talk to her. Instead of yelling she began laughing like she'd never heard anything funnier on her life. "What's so funny?"

"You! I mean your question…" she said through a fit of giggles. "What got into me?" she said laughing even harder. You did!" He was really confused now. She kept laughing at the fact that "he had gotten into her" and he had no idea what that meant. Had her gotten under her skin or something? He wasn't sure what she was talking about but he definitely knew when her giggles turned to sobs that whatever was going on wasn't funny at all. He tried to comfort her but she shied away from his touch in a way that literally made his heart ache. What could he possibly have done to her to make her this upset?

"Audrey, please. I don't know what I did but if you tell me we can work through this." He tried. "WE can get back to the way we use to be."

"It will never be the way it used to be Percy," she half cried and half screamed. "It can't be. Not now."

"Why?" he pleaded, begging for some kind of information that would helped him figure out how to cure her of this pain. She dug around in her apron and pulled out a small, fuzzy picture.

"I'm Pregnant." After saying this, Audrey burst into a round of tears that were louder and more piercing than he ever could have imagined. She was pregnant. With his child. He was going to be a father. There were many emotions pumping through his veins but upset was not one of them. He couldn't understand why she was upset about this; isn't this exactly what she had wanted?

"Don't be upset-"

"Don't be upset? Are you shitting me? I'm supposed to just be happy about the fact that I'm pregnant with your baby that I'm going to have to raise alone? You get to keep shagging your skanky little inter, excuse me, _assistant_, and I get to walk around pregnant looking like some pathetic little trollop? Oh yes Percy, I'm ecstatic!" she screamed. If had thought he was confused before, he had no idea what to call how he was feeling now.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're cheating on me with Syndal, Percy. You don't have to keep it in any longer; I know. Ginny saw you."

"Ginny?" he asked. Ginny had never seen Syndal- except for that time when she came barging into his office.

"Yes, Ginny. How could you do that to me? I thought you were different, I thought what we had was special! I loved you, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you!" she cried.

"I'm not cheating on you with Syndal." He said slowly. There was no point in yelling it, which is what the wanted to do. She would only think he was lying. He figured it best to say it softly and slowly so she heard the truth in every word. "I do not, and never have, felt about anyone the way I feel about you, Audrey."

"Right, so Ginny was lying?" she asked, still unconvinced. "We're all making this up in our heads?"

"No, she didn't lie; but she misunderstood what she saw. I've never so much as shaken Syndal's hand."

"Then what were you doing spending all your time with her and sneaking off to the office at all hours of the night?"

"She was helping me." He answered. Clearly this was not enough for Audrey, who raised her eyebrows incredulously. "She was helping me figure out how to propose to you."

"Wait, what?" she asked, completely caught off guard by his confession.

"I wanted to propose, but I needed it to be special and I didn't know who else to ask. She's pretty creative and was helping me come up with something perfect for you."

"And no one else came to mind but her? Not your mom, or Ginny, or Fleur?" she asked. He could tell that she was softening as the truth was settling around her. He knew how fast her emotions could change, so it didn't shock him at all when she began to smile a little.

"They're all horrible at keeping secrets and I wanted it to be perfect."

"You're insane, you know that? Simply getting down on one knee wouldn't do it for you?" she asked as she hugged him. It felt good to have her back in his arms. "I'm so sorry I jumped to conclusions, but I'll never do it again! I'm sorry I didn't trust you."

"Are you kidding? I should be the one apologizing for ever even making you think I'd want anyone else but you or this baby. I love you."

"I love you too, but, don't you think now would be a good time to propose? I mean, I do know already anyway…"she teased. He rolled his eyes at how impatient she could be but obliged without hesitating. He pulled out the little box that had been burning a hole in his pocket and got down on one knee.

"Audrey Carizzales. I can't imagine a life without you in it and having you by my side is what completes me. I never imagined that I could feel so deeply about someone, or that those feeling would ever be returned to me, of all people. Before I met you, I never realized how empty my life was, and I now know that you and I are truly meant to be together. I wish I could give you everything, but I hope that this ring is enough. Will you marry me?"

She jumped up and down in the way she did when she couldn't find word to express how she felt. Even though she was finding it hard to find words, she said the one word he'd been longing to hear.

"Yes!"


	9. Vows Are Exchanged

Audrey

So much had happened leading up to this day that Audrey hadn't even really had time to process it all. She and Percy had to work twice as fast to put together the wedding because it was way over due, and Audrey had sketched and perfected her wedding dress when she was 13, and it just wasn't going to work with a pregnant belly. She couldn't wait until their little girl or boy was born, but a bride shouldn't have anything sticking out or their dress no matter what the circumstances were. She knew Molly was unfairly talented when it came to planning events and organizing things, but she wasn't so bad at these things herself. So with a little arguing and comprise, her future mother-in-law had agreed to back down a bit and let her have free reign over her own wedding. She was the last person to be marrying into the Weasley family (hopefully) so she wanted to be unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.

It took a lot of convincing, but eventually Molly had given in to Audrey's request of having the wedding in a hotel in muggle London. Since Audrey had wizarding and muggle friends, it was only fit to have the ceremony somewhere that both parties could get to. Simply put, it was going to be flawless and amazing and people were going to love it. The past three months had been full of choosing colors, flowers, invitations, themes and decorations and each day had been filled with meetings, to do lists, appointments, fittings and dead-lines. For anyone else this may seem like a lot, but for Audrey it was the perfect distraction from the bigger picture, which was the fact that she was getting married.

Yes, she had been the one that wanted to get married first, but at the time she hadn't realized what that would mean. Audrey loved Percy, but she had never been great at committing to things. It wasn't entirely her fault though. She had moved around a lot as a little girl and had been raised to embrace every opportunity thrown her way. She would try or join just about anything, but the problem was that she changed her mind so easily about things that she never really ended up sticking with things for very long. When she got tired of sitting around school all day, she had started modeling; when traveling the world became too much, she became Percy's assistant. That job had been particularly boring, but the fact that Percy was there is the reason she made it as long as she did. She'd tried out for the Harpies as sort of a joke seeing as she had never really played Quidditch before. She'd made the reserve team, but the early practice times were killer so that had only lasted a few weeks. The point is, Audrey was notoriously fickle, and marriage wasn't like a pair of shoes, or a boring job. Marriage was long-term and grown up and involved two hearts and a baby, so if she found some way to mess this up, she didn't know what she would do.

There would be no fixing it, or being forgiven. If she messed this up she would lose her soul mate, her best friend, and the people that she had grown to love as a family and that genuinely scared her. Everyone thought that Audrey was so perfect, and carefree and independent, but really she worried a lot and often felt lonely, she had just always had people around and it was easy to forget about your troubles when keeping up such a daunting image. For instance, in this moment, she felt like hyperventilating, which is something none of her friends would ever believe if she told them. There was only one person that would understand and since it was the night before their wedding, he was the one person she wasn't allowed to see. But honestly, she'd never paid much attention to rules before, and it was her wedding anyway, so she went to Percy's room. It was kind of fun sneaking through the halls of the hotel and it reminded her of her old Hogwarts days. She knocked on Percy's door, not expecting him to answer seeing as it was 3 in the morning, but placed her hand over the peep hole just in case.

"Who is it?" she heard him answer.

"Audrey."

"Audrey? Is everything ok?" he asked sounded very concerned. He swung the door open quickly and she managed to cover his eyes with one of her hands before he had seen her or anything. "I thought we weren't supposed to see each other before the wedding?"

"Well can you see me?" she asked.

"No."

"Good, I can't see you either. Can we talk?"

"If Ginny finds out we saw each other-"

"Oh, don't be such a big baby! Ginny won't find out, plus neither of us can see the other so no rules have been broken. However, we are standing in the middle of your doorway with no vision, so for all we know Ginny could be watching now." She teased.

"Touche." Before she could respond, he had wrapped his arms around her and apparated them to the bed. That was much smarter than her idea of them both trying to find the bed with their eyes covered. She heard him reach for his wand and flick it in the air before blindfolds cover her eyes. "Better?"

"Much better. What on earth would I do without you? Wait, are you blindfolded too?"

"Yes. Can't see a thing. What'd you want to talk about?" She didn't know exactly how to phrase it. She was nervous, but she wasn't scared. She didn't want him to think that she wasn't going to go through with the wedding, but she really needed someone to rant to.

"I'm kind of nervous. About tomorrow."

"Kind of nervous? Well then you're doing a hell of a lot better than me."

"What are you nervous about?" she asked. He had no reason to be.

"Well, I am supposed to be marrying the single most amazing woman on the planet in the morning and it just doesn't seem like something that would ever have been happening to me. I guess…I'm afraid you'll finally come to your senses and realize that you're too good for me just like everyone else thinks." So she was nervous that she might mess up the marriage, but he was worried that she didn't want to get married at all. They were quite a pair.

"You have nothing to be worried about Percy. I'm here and I love you no matter what anyone else thinks. Anyone that doesn't see how perfect you are for me doesn't know me at all. For all I care we could have gotten married in front of only our parents, but I couldn't deny people the pleasure of seeing my dress in person. It's that amazing." She said making him laugh, which didn't happen often so she was glad she could have that effect on him. "So stop worrying about me, I'm not going anywhere. If anyone should be worried, it's me. If anyone should be worried, it's me. You do realize you're signing up to live with my disorganization for the rest of your life right?"

"I'm well aware and I'd be an idiot to let you go, so you don't worry about that either. I love you so much Audrey Carizzales."

"That's great to hear, but I'll be a Weasley soon."

"Yes you will. You know, you still have time to reconsider becoming a part of my crazy family.," he joked, "They'd understand."

"Not happening. I love your crazy family, and I think it's safe to say they love me too."

"So, no more cold feet?"

"No more cold feet." She answered confidently. It was a good thing she had come to see him, otherwise she'd still be driving herself crazy with her random thoughts.

"Good," he said as he kissed her stomach, "because I want to be with my favorite girls forever."

"Girls? What makes you think the baby is a girl?"

"I don't know, I just have a feeling."

"Well I hope your feeling is wrong, because contrary to what you may believe, you're a huge softy and you would spoil that little girl rotten."

"Like you?" he teased.

"Exactly! Plus, I've already planned on filling our house with little boys."

"And my fill you mean…?"

"2 to 4, tops. That way I'll always be the princess of the house and there won't be some little girl trying to see my crown."

"Spoiled brat." He teased, before yawning and lying down on the pillow. Up until then she hadn't realized how tired she was.

"Well at least I can admit it." She laid down and scooted as close to him as she possibly could. She didn't care about the rules, she never wanted to leave his side. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, love."

Percy

Percy hadn't slept this well in a long time. He felt extremely rested, which couldn't be the case because he and Audrey had to have fallen asleep around four that morning. He felt like he was in sort of a daze, but he could hear a shrill voice coming from far away. He listened harder, and the voice seemed to be coming from right above his left ear.

"Wake up idiot!" Ginny screamed, before smacking him on the head with a pillow. Or at least he assumed it was a pillow because he couldn't really see anything. "You overslept! Get up!" Percy jumped up and flipped the covers off of him, exposing Audrey, who had her arms wrapped around his torso. Just at that moment, he heard more footsteps pile into the room.

"Audrey?" Ginny said after gasping loudly. "Oh dear Merlin, you guys are disgusting! You aren't supposed to see each other, let alone have sex the night before your wedding. Eugh!"

"Blindfolds?" George asked. "Didn't know you had it in you Perce." Blindfold? Percy reached a hand to his face and felt the thin fabric covering his eyes. Well, that would explain why he couldn't see anything. He took the blindfold off and saw Ginny, George, Ron, and Bill standing over his bed. George and Bill were wearing expressions of gratification, but Ginny was pissed. He shook Audrey awake, but that only upset Ginny further.

"Well don't look at her, you did enough of that last night!"

"We only slept together." Audrey said sleepily.

"Oh, stop reminding me. Let's go Audrey, it's already 9." At the sound of that Audrey was on her feet and out of the door with Ginny in no time. Lucky for him he was a man, and he could have slept 2 more hours and still gotten to the wedding on time.

"Well, I'm up so you guys can leave now."

"Actually we can't," Bill responded, "we need to have a little chat."

"What about?"

"It's about Audrey and the wedding. We just want to make sure that you're ready for this and that you're not going to screw it up. So, are you ready for this?"

"Yes."

"And are you going to screw it up?" Ron asked.

"No."

"Great!" George yelled, before clapping him on the back, "Lovely chat."

"That's it? No brotherly advice or warnings?"

"All you need to know is that the answer is usually yes and she is always right."

"But what if the answer is no and she's wrong?" he asked.

"Well you're free to say no and feel that she's wrong all you want in the confines of your own mind at any time, but that's it. Unless you want to sleep on the couch, eat left overs and not have sex-"

"She's always right. Got it. Anything else?"

"Well yes." Ron said seriously. "We all like Audrey, love her really, and for some reason she is crazy about you-"

"Which is great," Bill interrupted, "so it should be really hard for you to screw this up, but just in case you need to hear it out loud-"

"Don't screw this up." George finished. Well they'd done a terrible job at making him feel at ease about this whole wedding. He was just about to panic, but he remembered the talk he had with Audrey last night, and deep down he knew everything was going to be ok.

"Thanks guys, but I think I've got it under control."

"Alrighty then, let's get you married!"

The rest of the day went by in a bit of a blur. They had all gotten dressed and ready and spent most of the time the girls were using to get ready to lounge around the hotel. He had no idea what the girls had needed 2 extra hours for, but they ended up going by quicker than he thought they would. Before he knew it he was in the lobby of the hotel waiting for the procession to start. He was in the front of the line, and all the rest of the family and bridal party were there waiting to get things started He heard the organ that signified that it was time for him to walk in, but before he could move, a large hand was on his shoulder, pulling him back.

"What the hell?" he yelled, right before turning to realize he was face to face with both Audrey's father and his father. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir." They had only met once before, but Percy hadn't really had to do much talking since Audrey was there. Her father wasn't the least bit intimidating, but his bond with Audrey was so intense that it made Percy nervous.

"Didn't mean to startle you son."

"Oh, it's no problem."

"We just wanted to wish you luck, and I think Brad had something else he wanted to add. " his dad said proudly.

"Thanks Arthur." Percy turned his attention to Audrey's father, but instead of seeing the man who was usually smiling and laughing, he saw a man that looked very scary and very pissed. "Percy, I'm sure you know how much I love my little girl, or I guess I should say woman, so I think you'll understand clearly when I say that if you hurt her, I have a lot of money and know a lot of people that will help me make you regret it for the rest of your life. Understood?"

"Understood." He said shakily.

"Well, now that that's cleared up, good luck!" he said returning to his cheerful demeanor, " I think you missed your cue."

Percy had no time to think, because he was ushered towards the large door and into the ballroom where there had to have been 300 guests. He realized more than ¾ of them were her guests, considering most of the people he'd invited were actually in the wedding. His nerves started to return as he reached the end of the aisle and turned towards the audience. The tune on the organ changed, and his parents walked in next. His mum was crying and nothing had even happened yet. Following them was Bill and Fleur, George and Angelina, Ron and Hermione, and Harry and Ginny. Lastly came Teddy, who had spent weeks perfecting his line for the wedding with Audrey's help.

"The bride is coming! The bride is coming!" he yelled proudly. He had wanted to get it just right for his Aunt Audrey, and he was doing an amazing job, but even cuter than him was the little girl sitting in the wagon he was pulling. Victoire had just about destroyed her parent's garden practicing her flower girl job. She was smiling brightly and carefully, throwing petals on either side of the wagon and giggling at Teddy's wagon-pulling skills. The tune changed once more, and Percy directed his attention to the door as they opened slowly. Audrey had spent a large amount of money on making sure the flowers and chair covers and decorations and cakes were perfect, but none of that looked as perfect as she did dressed in all white. She was the picture of perfection, and everyone was in awe of her as she slowly walked down the aisle with her father. By the time she made it to him, almost everyone was in tears and she nodded at him reassuringly.

After that, the majority of the ceremony went by in a blur. He repeated things when he was told and smiled every now and then, but couldn't focus on much else than the love of his life. Now it was time for the part he was _really_ nervous about. The vows. Audrey had been telling him to write them for weeks, but he just didn't know how to put what he wanted to say into words. She was amazing with words, and he listened intently to her vows to him.

"As most people know, I like to think of life as a fairytale. I was the princess and the world was my castle, only there was something else missing. For so long, I wondered if I would ever find my prince, my knight in shining armor, my other half. Then three years ago, I took a job at the Ministry. Not exactly a castle, but I wanted to find an escape from my crazy life. Instead, I found everything I'd ever been looking for my whole life, but didn't know to look for. And now here we are with our future before us and I only want to spend it with you – my prince, my soul mate, my friend. I vow to be your guiding light and partner through the good times and bad, no matter what. It's a miracle to find the kind of peace and happiness that you've given me, and I don't know where I'd be without you. "

She was now among the list of people crying, and he wiped a tear from her eye before saying his vows. He didn't need to write them down or remember them; all he had to do was tell her what he had been thinking all along.

"Today is a very special day. Long ago you were just a dream, but today you are a dream come true. You often tell me that you don't know where you'd be without me, but I know exactly where I'd be without you. I'd be in my office at The Ministry, alone, distanced from my family and miserable. I'd just be Percy. From the first day I saw you I knew that things were looking up for me. You took the time to get to know me even though I didn't know myself at all. You gave me the courage to reconnect with my family, and are now blessing me with a family of my own. From this day forward I vow to love, cherish, honor, and protect you through good times and bad. With you I'm not just Percy, I'm proof that dreams really do come true."

There wasn't a dry eye in the entire room once they had finished their vows. Even the officiant was tearing, and Percy could barely hear when he told him that he could kiss his bride. Audrey had warned him beforehand that she wanted their first kiss to be G-rated, so he kissed her gently before turning to the crowd and walking hand in hand down the aisle with his new wife. He was so happy that he could have run out of there and shown her just how much he loved her, but her father had spent an unreasonable amount of money on the reception, and Percy didn't want to disrespect him in anyway. Plus, Audrey would never go for it with her hair and make-up and clothes to worry about.

"What are you thinking about Mr. Weasley?" she asked him dreamily.

"Well Mrs. Weasley, I'm thinking about how I'm going to restrain myself from ripping your dress off right here." He answered honestly. She blushed, which is something she never did, and he was proud that he could have that effect on her.

"There's a time and place for everything, dear." She said with a wink. "And we've got forever for that."

"Forever eh?" he said before he kissed her softly, "I like the sound of that."


	10. The End

**Audrey**

* * *

><p>"And that's the story of how your mother and I met." Percy finished. Their oldest daughter clapped like she'd heard it for the first time, or like it was the most amazing story in the world. Audrey had to admit, it was one of the greater stories she had ever heard. It wasn't your typical love story, but it was their story, and it was a good one.<p>

"That's my favorite bed time story ever, daddy."

"Mine too." he answered.

"Can I hear it again?"

"You've heard it a thousand times already, and it's time for bed. Maybe next time you can tell it to me?"

"No!" she whined, "No one tells it good as you, not even mommy."

"Hey now, I think I do a pretty good job when I tell it." she defended as she made her presence known and walked into the room. "I mean, I am the lead girl in the story."

"You do a reputable job, mommy." Molly replied, making them both laugh.

"Reputable? That's a pretty big word for a six year old." Percy said.

"Aunt Hermione says it's a big girl word and I'm a big girl."

"Yes you are," Audrey said before kissing her on the forehead. "You're a big girl whose bedtime was an hour and a half ago."

"That's not my fault; Daddy tells his story _very _slowly."

"I know and you're both going to be _very_ sorry if you don't go to sleep soon. Don't get mad at me when I'm waking you up in the morning either."

"Ok ok," she said with a dramatic sigh, "I'll try and go to sleep."

"Only try?" Percy asked.

"It's the least I can do. But it might help if I knew I was waking up to blueberry waffles in the morning." She answered, pulling that same, pathetic look Audrey gave when she was about to get her way. "Please?" Audrey made sure to answer first. If it wasn't for her intervening when Molly asked for something they would have a million toys and animals and Molly would probably have no teeth from all the candy she always asked for.

"Sorry sweetie, we don't have any blueberries. You'll have to do without."

"Daddy?" she asked with her bottom lip quivering. Audrey couldn't help but roll her eyes. Percy was putty in Molly's hands and everyone knew it.

"I'm sure we can pick some up in the morning, but only if you go to sleep." He compromised. Molly giggled happily and threw her arms around her dad before getting under the covers quickly. Of course she goes to sleep when he promises her something; now she'd have to get up and make waffles in the morning.

"Goodnight Daddy, good night mommy. Will you say goodnight to Lucy for me?"

"Of course. Goodnight Molly." Audrey said as she kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight princess." Percy said as he tucked her in. Audrey's heart swelled with joy when she saw how much Percy loved their daughter. She couldn't believe she had lucked out, and married such a loyal husband and caring father. They had been through a lot, but it had all worked out perfectly. She had everything that she'd always wanted, even when she didn't know what to ask for. Audrey used to think she didn't need one of those fancy love stories like her mom and dad, but what we need and what we want have a funny way of never adding up just right.

* * *

><p><strong>Percy<strong>

* * *

><p>"We should check on Lucy before we go to bed." Percy suggested.<p>

"She's fine Perce, if she was up we would have heard on the monitor."

"I know, let's check anyway." Percy could admit that he simply loved spending time with his youngest daughter. She was only a few months old, and didn't talk or anything, but he'd have conversations with her for hours and hours. She was a great listener, he thought to himself. Audrey opened the door to Lucy's room and as she had said, the little girl was sleeping soundly. "She's still so tiny." Percy whispered.

"She's perfect. Now we have two, perfect, amazing little girls." Audrey said proudly. Percy couldn't help but smile at the sound of that, as he remembered a conversation they'd had a few years ago the night before their wedding.

"You know, someone once told me that we were going to have a house full of little boys so as to not allow your Princess title to be taken?"

"Oh yeah?" she asked sarcastically, "Boy, was she wrong."

"I just can't imagine us with boys. Or anyone that wasn't our Molly and Lucy."

"I know what you mean. Plus, I don't mind having two little princesses. Molly is a Princess for sure and Lucy will be as well, just like I was. It runs in the family."

"And you're ok with giving up your crown?" he teased.

"Are you kidding? I'm the Queen now, my crown is even bigger."

"Ah, that's why your head has gotten so big. It all makes sense now." He said as he ruffled her hair. "Hey, does that mean I'm a King?"

"Yes it does, and that means you've got the biggest head of all. Maybe we should all dress up and have a portrait done?"

"Yeah, or maybe that could never ever happen. Ever." He said quickly.

"Never say never babe." She said. He groaned at the thought, knowing that if Audrey wanted some huge gaudy portrait of them there would probably be one hanging from the wall of their house next week. Same as it was when Molly asked for blueberry waffles or ponies, or Lucy wanted to be held through the night. Audrey called him a softie, and he did fear spoiling his children (and wife), but there was nothing he wouldn't do for his family. "Are you going to stay with our daughter tonight or come to bed?"

"Bed. Definitely."

"Well let's go Daddy-O; you have an early day tomorrow."

"Hey Audrey?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for everything. These last few years with you have been the best of my life. I feel like there's no way I'll ever be able to thank you enough for the way you've saved me."

"It was my pleasure." She said as she kissed him soundly. She pulled away ay too soon and laughed at his attempt at making Molly and Audrey's pouting face. "Don't give me that look, you need to go to bed."

"That's exactly what I intend to do." He said as he scooped her up and carried her to their bed. If you had asked Percy if he'd be living this life 10 years ago he would have laughed in your face; now he couldn't imagine his life any other way. Percy used to think he didn't need some dramatic love story like his parents, but what we want and what we need have a funny way of never adding up just right.

"Hey, Percy?"

"Yes, love?"

"Don't forget to go to the store in the morning. You have to get blueberries."

-_The End-_

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it! This was so much fun to write because it's one of those couples that we don't know much about. Thank you to everyone that reviewed, alerted, and favorited. I swear those things kept me writing on days when I couldn't think of anything to write. Look for more stories soon, or check out some of my others. I'm always interested in reading a good so if you have one or know of any, let me know! Again, thanks so much for sticking with me, hope everyone has a great summer!<strong>

**-Jazz**


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